Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: I thought that this book was excellent. It was interesting and informative at the same time. It brought across the flavor of the period very well, and you also learned many new things while reading it. It is useful for research, but is also a good book to read for enjoyment. The author obviously did much in-depth research for this book, and it shows. The author was a skilled writer, so you could picture in your mind all the people, clothing, food, and places that are described in this book. I also thought the bibliography at the end was very thorough. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: I liked it
Review: I'm not a historian, nontheless I found the book highly enjoyable. Most of all I liked Fraser's style. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Reading, but General
Review: If you are familiar with the subject matter, this book does not cover fresh territory, outside of a few obscure details here and there (such as Anne Boleyn's being possibly born in early summer). However, Lady Antonia Fraser's writing, as always, is fresh, engaging and broad in perspective; although she does not delve into details, nothing is lost. But of course she must cover a huge expanse: each of Henry VIII's queens reflect him (indeed, women then were wholly dependent on his favour) at different stages of his life and kingship; his different needs. Which brings me to a poignant note: the most complex and intriguing queens (Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Katherine Parr) suffered at his hands and could not exercise their considerable talents unless allowed. But that is a modern perspective and irrelevant.What Lady Antonia does best is reveal these women, their personalities and abilities, in the cultural, social and political context of the time. This book is a superb introduction not just to Henry VIII's wives, but Henry himself: vicariously we see the man through the women who both intrigue and repulse him. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Of all the tutor biographies I've read this is my favorite. Antonia Fraser does a marvelous job. She takes detailed fact and presents it as the amazing story it truly is. Catherine of Aragon Henry's first wife is often only mentioned as the queen replaced by Anne Boelyn few authors forget to mention that Henry and Catherine were married for two decades before Anne became queen. And the often-skipped (or merely summarized in one sentence) Anne of Cleves is portrayed not as "the ugly one" but as an innocent princess who truly did not know what her brother had gotten her into. The more popularly written-about Anne Boelyn, Catherine Howard, and Catharine Parr are also thoroughly examined and Fraser goes to great lengths to go beyond the stereotypes in favor of a more accurate picture. All in all the book of course is not flawless but definitely worth the time it will take to absorb all this information.
Rating:
Summary: Henry VIII: good reasons for having six wives
Review: The author, Ms. Fraser gives the reader a look at what life was like at the time of Henry VIII. Ms. Fraser connects the people in the book not only to the history of England, but to that of the world. Furthermore, she goes into the reasons that King Henry had
so many wives. These reasons are much more complex, and fascinating than you would think. If you want to learn more about history in which the people are examined in depth,
this book is for you!
Rating:
Summary: Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived
Review: The triple threat of Elizabeth Longford, Antonia Fraser and Flora Fraser (Mother, Daughter & Grandaughter)have been providing us with readable yet fairly scholarly biographies for decades. All of them are well researched and certainly admired by historians and non-academics alike. This particular book is a handy all-in-one guide to Henry VIII and his six wives. It is by necessity, rather shallow, as his marital woes had and have very important ramifications, and this volume cannot begin to address these issues in depth. Overall, a great read about a fascinating man at a fascinating time. In truth, the women are not nearly as well fleshed out, with the notable exception of Katherine of Aragon, largely because their stories just were not as important as that of their husband to contemporary writers, so their lives are not as well documented. The extent 16th c. materials have been mined for individuals biographies of each woman, and they do each deserve their own book. (Many such have been written, even about poor Catherine Howard.) This is a good book for a first look at Tudor England. I like Lady Antonia and all her biographies, and those of her mother and daughter. I just wish she would stop writing those shabby mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived
Review: The triple threat of Elizabeth Longford, Antonia Fraser and Flora Fraser (Mother, Daughter & Grandaughter)have been providing us with readable yet fairly scholarly biographies for decades. All of them are well researched and certainly admired by historians and non-academics alike. This particular book is a handy all-in-one guide to Henry VIII and his six wives. It is by necessity, rather shallow, as his marital woes had and have very important ramifications, and this volume cannot begin to address these issues in depth. Overall, a great read about a fascinating man at a fascinating time. In truth, the women are not nearly as well fleshed out, with the notable exception of Katherine of Aragon, largely because their stories just were not as important as that of their husband to contemporary writers, so their lives are not as well documented. The extent 16th c. materials have been mined for individuals biographies of each woman, and they do each deserve their own book. (Many such have been written, even about poor Catherine Howard.) This is a good book for a first look at Tudor England. I like Lady Antonia and all her biographies, and those of her mother and daughter. I just wish she would stop writing those shabby mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: "Excellent Story"
Review: The Wives of Henry VIII by gifted writer, Lady Antonia Fraser, is an excellent story...one that held me captive from the very start of the story. The huge amount of research Ms. Fraser did on this novel is very obvious. (Highly Recommended Reading!)
Rating:
Summary: A triumph of history
Review: This book is certainly worth reading. Lady Fraser writes eloquently, incorporating historical facts with modern wit. The attention bestowed on the usually transparent Queens Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves is admirable, and the attention paid to the proud Queens Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn is deep and thorough. I would say that anyone interested in Henry's Queens would find this book more attractive than any other on the same subject, for Fraser's wit and thorough research make her book entertaining as well as informative.
Rating:
Summary: From a history major's perspective........
Review: This book is extremely well written, although I do think that sometimes Lady Fraser gets caught up in the minutiae. I love the illustrations, with the close-ups of each of the queen's personal heraldric badges. This book will definetly go to England with me when I go study abroad, it's a new take on the lives of the wives of one of England's most well-known kings. Family trees are extremely helpful.
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